SHADOW OF FIRE (2024)
While his earlier films are full of anxiety about urban landscapes, technology, and a whole lot of repressed urges, Shinya Tsukamoto’s recent projects have expressed other concerns. Together with Fires on the Plain and Killing his latest film forms a kind of anti-war trilogy; the manic energy being replaced by a darker more contemplative mood, suggesting his feelings about the fears of audiences today. That this is another period drama is secondary to the emotional content of the story; the message is intended to be evergreen. But how successful is this as a human drama on its own terms? Let’s take a look at how all of these sombre ingredients come together.
